Which enemy airfields can you attack? If he's on the attack then he's not on the defense...

Darwin and Bathrust are his main AFs. But in this mod allied Flak is deadlier as ever and the 250kg japanese GP bomb is reduced by 33%... so i don't see a real chance of doing anything spectacular, also because i don't have any operational AF close enoughto those bases... consider also that i'm losing every day 1 or 2 Dinah III flying at 25,000 feet due to flak

I think you are loking at 3.7" AA guns which in early days extend to 28K feet and June 1943 upgrade to 39K feet ...the 3.7" MkVI AA gun having the highest altitude reach of any of the Alied AA specfic platforms. and better than your 88's sitting at Truk The recent beta upgrades to LBA flak make this weapon platform particularly deadly than my previous experiences ... they do extract a toll ....

My advice is play small ball. Put a few regular subs, six of the 500 endurance mini subs, mines, maybe even a few of the minuscule number of PT boats the Japanese get in Taberfane and Saumlaki. Perhaps even a force of 4 older but torpedo armed DDs (although your DD losses in this game are high enough I might not do this). Then have naval bombers waiting in the second line with carefully chosen max ranges. Intention is to burn his Ops points, maybe get a lucky hit or two, and leave all or part of his force exposed to air attack the next day. Make him pay some price for these tactics without risking the big stuff.

Thanks! The key is numbers of these various mosquito annoyances (linear game engine, remember?). Make him have three ASW attacks, a PT engagement, and a mine hit before he bombards and all of a sudden he's out of Ops points and left high and dry at daybreak. Get a lucky torpedo hit or multiple mine hits and the cripples are really up a creek.

Thanks! The key is numbers of these various mosquito annoyances (linear game engine, remember?). Make him have three ASW attacks, a PT engagement, and a mine hit before he bombards and all of a sudden he's out of Ops points and left high and dry at daybreak. Get a lucky torpedo hit or multiple mine hits and the cripples are really up a creek.

A light mine hit or light damage from anything is devastating to this particular tatitic? Why ?? No escort TF is formed before the bombarment, so hurting one ship bad only means the rest of the group gets away .. but if the whole TF is slowed by the slowest ship ..they all are in range of Mrs. Betty ..

I am an AFB so in my case it was British DB's and TB's protecting Molumein ..and obviously with much less devasting effect but it did discourage my IJ opponent when the Fuso took a torp ..

Which enemy airfields can you attack? If he's on the attack then he's not on the defense...

Darwin and Bathrust are his main AFs. But in this mod allied Flak is deadlier as ever and the 250kg japanese GP bomb is reduced by 33%... so i don't see a real chance of doing anything spectacular, also because i don't have any operational AF close enoughto those bases... consider also that i'm losing every day 1 or 2 Dinah III flying at 25,000 feet due to flak

I think you are loking at 3.7" AA guns which in early days extend to 28K feet and June 1943 upgrade to 39K feet ...the 3.7" MkVI AA gun having the highest altitude reach of any of the Alied AA specfic platforms. and better than your 88's sitting at Truk The recent beta upgrades to LBA flak make this weapon platform particularly deadly than my previous experiences ... they do extract a toll ....

In DBB everything is different. Even the guns are different, so those numbers aren't maybe still true. The recent patch have added even more effect... DBB+patch+reduced effect of the 250 Kg GP bomb= bad idea to bomb allied defended airfields

It seems that now even more allied warships are present at Darwin: instead of the usual 2 cruiser TFs now there seem to be 3 big SCTFs ready to strike....they burn my supplies faster than my transport planes can deliver and now things are getting darker....

A second sentai of Frances is now ready at Kendari, while the enemy has massed 100 fighters ( i bet corsairs) at Truskot, in order to sweep Koepang

But now i have to concentrate of solving the problem of Thousand Ships bay where the New Zelander paras have landed....

Which enemy airfields can you attack? If he's on the attack then he's not on the defense...

Darwin and Bathrust are his main AFs. But in this mod allied Flak is deadlier as ever and the 250kg japanese GP bomb is reduced by 33%... so i don't see a real chance of doing anything spectacular, also because i don't have any operational AF close enoughto those bases... consider also that i'm losing every day 1 or 2 Dinah III flying at 25,000 feet due to flak

I think you are loking at 3.7" AA guns which in early days extend to 28K feet and June 1943 upgrade to 39K feet ...the 3.7" MkVI AA gun having the highest altitude reach of any of the Alied AA specfic platforms. and better than your 88's sitting at Truk The recent beta upgrades to LBA flak make this weapon platform particularly deadly than my previous experiences ... they do extract a toll ....

In DBB everything is different. Even the guns are different, so those numbers aren't maybe still true. The recent patch have added even more effect... DBB+patch+reduced effect of the 250 Kg GP bomb= bad idea to bomb allied defended airfields

So what happens if you come in low with your MB? Are those bases 2 far away to fighter sweep? Sweep from max altitude and bomb low? Also - doesn't attack port take out the AAA?

Exactly John, those CLs are that kind of asset against which i DON'T want my CAs to fight against. The Cleveland CLs are better taken by airplanes and not by my precious CAs!

so if you don't want your ships to fight other ships that are threatening your supply lines perhaps just leave them in Tokyo Bay where they will not burn the precious fuel you are about to lose? What are saving your CA's for? Maybe next year he will have less ships to fight? Sorry, cranky tonight.

A very important news today. I've been monitoring the enemy LCUs at Darwin for more than 3 months now. Suddenly, today, from 100,000 men counted, that number dropped to 70,000 and several big LST/APAs seem to be grouping in transport TFs. Ships disbanded in port dropped from 133 to 60. He is coming.... As we predicted few weeks ago, a para landing took place at Moa, a little dot base island east of Lautem. I believe Brad will try to land here and avoid the Saumlaki-Babar target area. Enemy's little ships (costal minesweeper TFs) moved up to Dempar (NE of Lautem) and got smashed by 40 Kates from Ambon... Our BBs are gathering into a firing position, while we moved 300 fighters to Lautem (recently re-opened). Subs are grouping into packs and Betties and Nells are warming their engines at Ambon. There seems to be not a single CV anywhere close to Darwin... is he really coming only with the LBA support? Risky...

We exchanged some A2A blows over Thousands ships Bay, recently took by the NZ Para commando. He's using C-47s to deliver engineers...and i don't really have an easy way to stop it... The Combined Fleet is gathering to Shortland, while the enemy CVL/CVEs popped up again near Ndeni, along with several BB/CAs and transport ships... as always Brad is trying to attack on different vectors. More fighters are reaching SOPAC, along with some more 100 bombers.

Tomorrow we'll try to bomb Moa, in order to distrupt his paras, while our fleet will get close to Lautem, covered by the huge LBA fighter umbrella present there. His subs are patrolling the waters between Ambon and Lautem, so we're trying to use a western route. The first group of 30 Frances is operative at Boela. Let's see if these guys can do something.

The time has come. Now we'll see if our defensive strategy will pay off.

Exactly John, those CLs are that kind of asset against which i DON'T want my CAs to fight against. The Cleveland CLs are better taken by airplanes and not by my precious CAs!

so if you don't want your ships to fight other ships that are threatening your supply lines perhaps just leave them in Tokyo Bay where they will not burn the precious fuel you are about to lose? What are saving your CA's for? Maybe next year he will have less ships to fight? Sorry, cranky tonight.

John, no need to ask sorry! We are among friends here

My view is the following: given the numerical superiority the allies gets in terms of warships (especially cruisers), i will not seek naval engagements with the only pourpose of sinking his ships. I will, probably, sink some of them, but will lose the attritional battle anyway. I will accept a naval battle ONLY if it will be necessary to obtain a strategical goal. So to say, i will engage his cruisers and BBs if the goal is to sink his transports while unloading on my beaches and so distrupt a landing. I prefer to leave the attritional role to my air force, which can be rebuilt.

So what happens if you come in low with your MB? Are those bases 2 far away to fighter sweep? Sweep from max altitude and bomb low? Also - doesn't attack port take out the AAA?

Also - Bettys have mines they can air drop?

Betties cannot mine...think that option will be activated somehow in 1944, not before imho.

At low altitude even the chinese AA is taking out my armoured Helens... We're doing pretty well recently imho... he doesn't seem to be able to keep my AFs shut all at once... he is constantly jumping from one target to another, thus leaving me time to repair my strips enough to be able to base there some fighters a couple of days later...and, every 2-3 days, his bombers find opposition...and they die in decent numbers. My air defences are jumping every day from one base to another, in the attempt not to be predictable and it seems to be working. Lautem, for example, despite been heavily damaged 10 days ago (100,100,16) recently managed to be repaired and now, if he comes, he will find 330 fighters waiting for his beloved 4Es.

A very important news today. I've been monitoring the enemy LCUs at Darwin for more than 3 months now. Suddenly, today, from 100,000 men counted, that number dropped to 70,000 and several big LST/APAs seem to be grouping in transport TFs. Ships disbanded in port dropped from 133 to 60. He is coming.... As we predicted few weeks ago, a para landing took place at Moa, a little dot base island east of Lautem. I believe Brad will try to land here and avoid the Saumlaki-Babar target area. Enemy's little ships (costal minesweeper TFs) moved up to Dempar (NE of Lautem) and got smashed by 40 Kates from Ambon... Our BBs are gathering into a firing position, while we moved 300 fighters to Lautem (recently re-opened). Subs are grouping into packs and Betties and Nells are warming their engines at Ambon. There seems to be not a single CV anywhere close to Darwin... is he really coming only with the LBA support? Risky...

We exchanged some A2A blows over Thousands ships Bay, recently took by the NZ Para commando. He's using C-47s to deliver engineers...and i don't really have an easy way to stop it... The Combined Fleet is gathering to Shortland, while the enemy CVL/CVEs popped up again near Ndeni, along with several BB/CAs and transport ships... as always Brad is trying to attack on different vectors. More fighters are reaching SOPAC, along with some more 100 bombers.

Tomorrow we'll try to bomb Moa, in order to distrupt his paras, while our fleet will get close to Lautem, covered by the huge LBA fighter umbrella present there. His subs are patrolling the waters between Ambon and Lautem, so we're trying to use a western route. The first group of 30 Frances is operative at Boela. Let's see if these guys can do something.

The time has come. Now we'll see if our defensive strategy will pay off.

Stay tuned

That would be a risky move, but a calculated risk by Brad. As I've found out, if the Allies can get it all moving quickly and manage to avoid the worst from the LBA, it only takes a day to achieve a foothold. On the other hand if you get to the transports he's screwed, not to mention he'll be putting a large number of combat ships in the way most likely to ward off your BBs. So it's a great opportunity as well. I'm sure you're taking all precautions, but the CAP traps and false moves have been the most frustrating to my attempts at defense in these situations

Looking forward to seeing how the next few days pan out. .

_____________________________

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

A very important news today. I've been monitoring the enemy LCUs at Darwin for more than 3 months now. Suddenly, today, from 100,000 men counted, that number dropped to 70,000 and several big LST/APAs seem to be grouping in transport TFs. Ships disbanded in port dropped from 133 to 60. He is coming.... As we predicted few weeks ago, a para landing took place at Moa, a little dot base island east of Lautem. I believe Brad will try to land here and avoid the Saumlaki-Babar target area. Enemy's little ships (costal minesweeper TFs) moved up to Dempar (NE of Lautem) and got smashed by 40 Kates from Ambon... Our BBs are gathering into a firing position, while we moved 300 fighters to Lautem (recently re-opened). Subs are grouping into packs and Betties and Nells are warming their engines at Ambon. There seems to be not a single CV anywhere close to Darwin... is he really coming only with the LBA support? Risky...

We exchanged some A2A blows over Thousands ships Bay, recently took by the NZ Para commando. He's using C-47s to deliver engineers...and i don't really have an easy way to stop it... The Combined Fleet is gathering to Shortland, while the enemy CVL/CVEs popped up again near Ndeni, along with several BB/CAs and transport ships... as always Brad is trying to attack on different vectors. More fighters are reaching SOPAC, along with some more 100 bombers.

Tomorrow we'll try to bomb Moa, in order to distrupt his paras, while our fleet will get close to Lautem, covered by the huge LBA fighter umbrella present there. His subs are patrolling the waters between Ambon and Lautem, so we're trying to use a western route. The first group of 30 Frances is operative at Boela. Let's see if these guys can do something.

The time has come. Now we'll see if our defensive strategy will pay off.

Stay tuned

That would be a risky move, but a calculated risk by Brad. As I've found out, if the Allies can get it all moving quickly and manage to avoid the worst from the LBA, it only takes a day to achieve a foothold. On the other hand if you get to the transports he's screwed, not to mention he'll be putting a large number of combat ships in the way most likely to ward off your BBs. So it's a great opportunity as well. I'm sure you're taking all precautions, but the CAP traps and false moves have been the most frustrating to my attempts at defense in these situations

Looking forward to seeing how the next few days pan out. .

Yes Erik, and i'm well aware of the fact that Brad is very skilled in using all the tactical smoke&mirrors tricks like, CAP traps, decoy TFs etc. He's also always flood the waters with a lot of useless TFs (PTs, AMs, PCs etc) in order to create chaos among my naval spotters. I know all of these...but i cannot do much to avoid them. i need to take my risks and hope my LBAs will get a decent DL in order not to waste runs against PTs or such. It will be a close call. Yes, allied amphib capabilities are great and they can unload everything during a night-day phase. I'll do my best

So what happens if you come in low with your MB? Are those bases 2 far away to fighter sweep? Sweep from max altitude and bomb low? Also - doesn't attack port take out the AAA?

Also - Bettys have mines they can air drop?

Betties cannot mine...think that option will be activated somehow in 1944, not before imho.

At low altitude even the chinese AA is taking out my armoured Helens... We're doing pretty well recently imho... he doesn't seem to be able to keep my AFs shut all at once... he is constantly jumping from one target to another, thus leaving me time to repair my strips enough to be able to base there some fighters a couple of days later...and, every 2-3 days, his bombers find opposition...and they die in decent numbers. My air defences are jumping every day from one base to another, in the attempt not to be predictable and it seems to be working. Lautem, for example, despite been heavily damaged 10 days ago (100,100,16) recently managed to be repaired and now, if he comes, he will find 330 fighters waiting for his beloved 4Es.

Japan's Type 3 mine comes on the board at the end of 1942 - at least in the stock 2 version of AE... They are deployed using the city attack command...

Referencing the City Attack command from the manual: "Also, air dropped mines are an option here if a city with a port is targeted. Air dropped mine Missions may not be flown before 1943." - page 152 of the manual

Brad again sends 2 strong bombardment TFs against Lautem... i should have foresee this move, but i was counting too much on the reaction of my BB/CAs and on mines//DDs role in expending the op points of the enemy...

However... at night they arrive...we sunk the DD blue with one of our subs...but they proceeded nonetheless

Seems like we took off a whole Tank Regiment! Not bad!... This is the evidence we were looking for: The enemy is coming!

Several more TFs are grouping north of Bathrust Island... we spotted DDs, CLs and every kind of ship (APA, AKA, AP, xAKs, LSTs etc)

So, at the end of this day, we lost 4 DDs, 60 planes (on the ground) and a base is wreck along with the combat effectiveness of more than 300 planes... the enemy lost 1 CL, 1 CA, 2 DDs, 1 AKA, 3 AKs and 1 AP... let's call it a draw...

But no wonder that tomorrow it will be worse. His 4Es are probably re-grouping and resting and will be ready to attack tomorrow. He will be landing? Where? Will he retire?

...the Empire holds its breath....

My BB/CAs are 4 hexes north of Lautem. Will move them into a good position in order to be able the next day to run and catch them wherever they decide to land

2 of our TFs (a BB-CA one and a CL one) pressed forward, hoping to engage his grouping amphib. The BBs were supposed to tangle with his warships...but the cowards didn't show up covering the transports...

Why do you say "minor victory"? Sure it could have been better but getting those APAs and thousands of troops is not "small potatos". Your trap was very effective! Just remember, even at Midway, the allies could not get both the Japanese landing force AND the CVs. It was still a great victory!

_____________________________

I have not yet begun to fight! OTOH I have not yet begun to flee. Hmmmmm - choices, choices -always with the choices.